


It's Not Over: An Interlude

by ChocolateKittin



Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: After Artemis's Death, Angst, But here it is, Coping, Gen, Grief/Mourning, I wrote this for my sister, I'm not sure what else to put, Interlude, It was never supposed to be posted, It's kind of short, Part I, after canon, my first fanfiction, please enjoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:34:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27716168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateKittin/pseuds/ChocolateKittin
Summary: When Artemis died, he left more than just his immediate family behind. His closest friends and confidants were left, trying to fill the gaping hole that was his absence.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. A Plan and Broken Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Ao3! This is honestly my first fanfiction posted - I do hope you enjoy it! Although it is my first time posting, it is not my first time writing. I actually write a lot of fanfiction for my sister, but if you guys want to see them, I'll post them! Please enjoy! =)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Butler-centric. It's pretttttty short, but it's there, right? The chapters get longer as we go along.

_It’s not over._  
Even after seeing Artemis go down with his own eyes.  
_It’s not over._  
Even as his parents confirmed what they already knew.  
_It’s not over._  
Even as the Fowls mourned.  
_It’s not over._  
Even as Juliet informed him when the funeral was.  
_It’s not over. Artemis has a plan._  
Even as Angeline and Juliet assured him it was, with tear-filled eyes.  
_It’s not over. Artemis may look dead, but he has a plan._  
Even after the funeral.  
_Artemis has a plan._  
_It’s not over.  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it!  
> Please enjoy the rest (if you're still interested).  
> But-  
> Thanks for reading!


	2. A Cutting Board and A Carrot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter two!  
> (Am I supposed to put notes every chapter?)  
> Juliet-centric!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!  
> =^v^=

When Juliet woke up that fateful day to the first rays of the sun, she knew something was wrong.

Firstly, the twins weren’t with her.

Juliet immediately scoured the house, and found a curiously tired Myles sleeping alone in his shared room, tucked in as if someone had taken him to bed. Not wanting to awaken him and deal with a clingy Fowl, she followed her instincts and Bellico’s partial knowledge of Opal’s whereabouts to the outside of the Manor. Bellico knew Opal would have been near a gate.

Juliet soon found herself staring down at a dead megalomaniacal pixie.

She turned her head away.

A rustle of the grass behind her sent her soldier’s instincts raring. The girl spun around.

_There._

Her feet carried her as her brain automatically tried to figure out why exactly her brother and Holly were kneeling in the grass over a prone figure.

Juliet may not have been a genius, but she wasn’t an idiot.

She knew subconsciously _exactly_ what was going on, even if her conscious mind refused to acknowledge it. 

“Dom! Holly!” she called, but her voice sounded very far away, even to her. Holly’s tearstained face slowly lifted to emotionlessly watch Juliet approach. Butler flinched.

Juliet stumbled slightly as she ran to them faster than she’d ever run before, even in bodyguard training.

Juliet stopped next to her brother, looking down in horror at….

No.

Juliet averted her eyes as she dropped to her knees beside her brother.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice quivering slightly.

***

The next few months were some of the hardest of Juliet’s life. She struggled to find a balance between doing her job for the Fowls at the Manor and pretending that the gaping hole Artemis had left behind was nonexistent. It was a very quiet time, full of many tears from all members of the Fowl family, tempered with the subtle confusion of the Fowl twins. The boys didn’t understand why Artemis wasn’t _there,_ and definitely couldn’t figure out why everyone was acting like he wasn’t coming back.

It didn’t take long for them to figure it out.

And when they did, it unleashed another tempest. Angeline and Artemis Senior - no, just _Artemis,_ Juliet struggled to remind herself and simultaneously forget - doted on their children like never before, hardly letting the boys out of their sight and ensuring their complete safety. Security increased around the Manor.

And yet, there was one wing of the house that stood untouched. While the staff came and went to clean from time to time, there was a suffocating silence that surrounded that part of the house. Many avoided that corner of the house like the plague, and those that were required to enter escaped as quickly as they could. It seemed like a ghost haunted that area, without the ghost.

The Fowls definitely didn’t go near it.

Juliet’s brother didn’t make matters easier. Butler steadfastly believed Artemis would return, and did not participate in the activities around the Fowl Manor.

Juliet ran her finger across a particularly large nick in the cutting board, pushing aside a pile of carrots she had already chopped and into the pile of waiting vegetables. The nick was Artemis’s fault. He had startled her once as she cut onions, distracted as she was by attempting not to cry. Juliet had dropped it, narrowly missing her fingers, and spun around to jab, hiss at, and otherwise harm whoever had distracted her. Artemis had simply raised one eyebrow and looked at her, and she had to settle for jabbing one finger in his chest and growling at him not to startle her again.

She still remembered his retort.

“I thought you heard me,” Artemis had said. “Isn’t that what your _sensei_ taught you?”

Juliet had sputtered indignantly, knowing that Artemis _knew_ she hadn’t finished training, and prepared to disregard all rules and _flip_ the smug boy when her brother had come in, questioning what was going on. After explaining, Artemis was sent away (or perhaps he had simply become bored), and Butler turned to scold Juliet.

At the time, Juliet was pretty sure that Artemis had left so he could eavesdrop on her scolding. She confronted him about it later, and the boy had given her an insufferably smug smile and told her that her _discipline_ was none of his business.

It definitely wasn’t, but that didn’t stop him from eavesdropping. She had never gotten a confession out of him, and had been bitter at him for it.

Now, staring down at evidence of his previous existence, she was forced to admit the truth that she had been avoiding for six months. Now, she was just glad for the memory of the smug little boy that had been the main focus of her early life. The little brother that she’d never had.

Juliet swept the rest of the vegetables into the soup.

_Artemis may be gone, but life will move on._

_It’s not over._

Then, she sat down on a stool by the island, dropped her head in her hands, and finally allowed herself to cry for what was lost.


	3. A Goblin's Gun and A Gucci Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Holly-centric; a little peek at our favorite elf's mourning.

Holly raised her Neutrino and let off three well-aimed shots before ducking back into cover, where her other teammates were also hiding. The goblins walked in circles, confused.

“T-th-they’re gonna sh-shoot me,” Corporal Kelp stuttered. “I’m t-telling Mommy!”

Holly shushed him. “They won’t shoot you,” she said reassuringly. “They’ll just fireball you.”

Encouragement was not one of Holly’s strongest suits. To be honest, it was easier with Artemis, because he was woeful at encouragement too….

She cut off that line of thought almost before it started.

“They’re gonna kill me!” Grub bawled.

“Quiet!” Major Evergreen hissed from Holly’s other side. She nodded her appreciation to him. The Major replied by shooting a goblin that was out of Holly’s line of sight, but about to kill her.

“On three,” Holly said, powering up her wings and lifting her gun.

“Two,” the Major muttered, copying the captain.

“W-what?” Grub asked.

Holly grabbed the corporal’s collar. “Get ready…” she eyed the situation, “...go!”

The two blazed up and out, shooting any goblin that moved and flying for a way out. Grub’s eyes widened, and he began gibbering nonsensically as Holly dragged him by the collar.

She gave him a sound kick to the shin. “Move it, Kelp!” she hissed.

Grub fumbled with the wing controls and finally got them working. Holly released his collar, flying off without him and hoping dearly he would find a spine to actually move.

Holly returned a few shots to the goblins below. As she turned to clear her path ahead, she heard them continue shooting, although she knew one that sounded louder than normal somehow.

Then, she heard Grub’s frightened shrieking, and the sound of a wing rig sputtering.

_Oh, no._

Holly turned midair, knowing Major Evergreen had turned as well. Grub’s wing rig sputtered and died, sending the corporal into a plummeting freefall that would take him straight to his death.

Evergreen grabbed Holly’s arm just as she was preparing to go after him. “Short, if you go, you will _both_ die.”

Holly ignored him, pausing only to wrench her arm free from his grip (which wasn’t terribly hard, the Major simply wanted to hold her back) and rapidly figured out the best method of attack.

_Artemis isn’t the only one who can make plans…._ Holly thought.

_Wasn’t. Wasn’t, Short. Artemis is dead._ Her blunt side argued.

_Maybe, but he’s coming back._ Holly defended.

Holly pulled herself out of her thoughts and pulled in her wings, flying at the falling corporal at an angle. She knew that although Grub was only affected by gravity, she was both affected by gravity _and_ her wings powering her down. She could overtake him.

_You spent too much time with Artemis. Honestly? Gravity?_ Holly’s blunt side said.

_That doesn’t matter._ Holly thought.

She slammed into the corporal’s side, sending them both flying into a window. The goblins kept shooting at them, and she vaguely thought she heard Grub squeaking because a laser had tagged his arm. Holly had bigger problems to worry about, however. One of the lasers had connected with her chest.

Holly couldn’t focus. She hit the floor, sending a shockwave of pain shooting through her already aching body.

_I’m dry,_ Holly thought. _I’m out of magic._

“Holly,” she dimly heard Grub gasp just before it all went black.

***

When Holly opened her eyes, it was all white.

She blinked. The white didn’t go away.

“She’s awake,” someone called.

Holly raised her head, registering only a dim throb from her chest. She rubbed it. “Ouch.”

_These hospital rooms are so white. I’m blind._

Someone clopped over to her. “Holly! Girl, you really took a number!”

“Foaly,” she croaked. Holly pushed herself up on her elbows. “How’d I get here?”

Her centaur friend blurred. “Evergreen healed you and brought you back here.”

“Oh,” Holly said, swinging her legs down. “Where is he now?”

Foaly grimaced. “Back on duty. We need every pair of pointy ears available on the job.”

Her feet hit the floor. “I’d better get going, then.”

“No-o,” Foaly said, drawing the word out. “You’re going home.”

“But you just said we need every pair of pointy ears available. I’m available,” she protested.

Foaly shook his head. “You may have been, but not anymore, little Captain. Trouble said when he swung by not to let you work when you woke up.”

“Why not?” the elf questioned, moving her friend over.

Foaly held out his arm to stop her. “Holly, I’m willing to bet that you haven’t seen the inside of your house since the Crash.”

“I did,” Holly said.

He gave her a skeptical look. “How many times?”

She thought for a moment. “A few times,” she said.

“Try once,” Foaly snorted. “You have been working nonstop. Go. Home.”

She glared at him. “Foaly, I can work just fine.”

The centaur gave a horsey laugh. “You just had a major healing, and was overworked even before that!”

“But Haven,” Holly weakly protested, knowing the Commander was on Foaly’s side. “And Artemis.”

“Haven will be there,” Foaly said reassuringly. “We’ve got other members of the LEP. And Artemis is doing just fine.”

Holly wilted. “Fine. But I’ll be back.”

Foaly shrugged. “At least you’ll have slept.”

***

Holly stepped into her dark apartment, almost stumbling over the threshold. She was starting to feel sick. Her body was simply unprepared for the amount of drama she put it through.

After a lengthy and ridiculously hot shower, Holly found herself listlessly stirring a bowl of soup as she sat on her couch, not hungry. She stared at her communicator for a long moment before lifting it to her lips, toying with the idea of bugging Artemis when it struck her.

_Artemis is gone._

_No,_ she thought stubbornly. _He’s coming back._

_Sure._

_He_ is _!_ Unable to take it any longer, Holly jumped up, slapping her communicator on her wrist and bolting out the door.

***

Holly entered Foaly’s lab without knocking, knowing she was authorized. The centaur glanced up as she came in, looking annoyed.

“Didn’t I send you home?”

Holly waved her hand dismissively, crossing the room as she waved away his point. “You did. And now I’m back.”

Foaly huffed. “Trouble will have your acorns for disobeying an order.”

Holly rolled her eyes. “No, he won’t. We need every officer alive.”

She stopped beside Foaly and looked down. “How’s he doing?” she asked quietly.

Foaly gave an exhausted sigh. “Fine. He’s doing fine.”

Holly tore her gaze from the nutrient pipes, sensors, and various cloning equipment to look at her centaur friend. She took in his stressed, frustrated face, the bags under his eyes, and his haggard appearance. “Foaly,” she began.

He held up a hand. “I know, I know.”

She pressed onward anyway. “You look like you need to go home too, tech-boy. Seriously, those bags under your eyes are glorious.”

“Of course they are,” Foaly muttered. “They’re Gucci.”

Holly shook her head, unsure if she’d heard him properly. “What?”

Foaly shook his head too. “Nothing.”

Holly had already almost forgotten, looking down again. “Okay,” she murmured, “just get some sleep soon.”

Foaly nodded. She wasn’t paying attention anyway.

Holly dropped her hand against the glass, tapping against it with tips of her fingernails. She studied the peaceful expression of her best friend.

_It’s not him,_ that annoying voice in her head said.

_Not now, but it will be,_ she retorted.

She saw, for the briefest moment, his eyes flickered, revealing that shock of blue. Her breath caught, and in the tiniest space of that quiet moment, the voices in her head quieted, leaving only one hopeful thought behind:

_It’s not over._

_It’s going to be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeee!  
> (An unprofessional outburst, but I'm really excited!)  
> Thus is the end of my first posted fanfiction! I've called this "An Interlude" because it is post-canon and sort of a prelude to Part II, which will happen... whenever I finish it. I'm working on it. Should I post it?  
> This work can stand alone, however. Part II doesn't really need to come out.  
> Okay, fine, it does. Because who can live without our favorite genius?  
> Thank you for reading!  
> God Bless!  
> =^v^=  
> ChocolateKittin

**Author's Note:**

> Did you make it all the way to the end?  
> What did you think? Was it okay? I don't mind if you review (actually, I'd love it [no pressure {which actually means I want you to review =)}]).  
> God Bless!
> 
> =^v^=
> 
> ChocolateKittin


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